Blackpool boss slams 'disrespect' surrounding FA Cup changes as he makes Nottingham Forest point

It has been announced that from next season the competition will no longer have replays from the first round onwards following a new six-year agreement between the FA and the Premier League. This decision has been made due to the expansion of UEFA competitions, which will increase the number of fixtures for those at the top end of the football pyramid.

Blackpool know just how important FA replays can be, after they earned a second meeting with Nottingham Forest following a 2-2 draw at the City Ground back in January. Despite the rematch at Bloomfield Road ending in a 3-2 defeat in extra time, it still proved to be an important occasion for the Seasiders due to the revenue in gate receipts and TV money – with ITV in town to broadcast the fixture which was played in frosty conditions.

Discussing the importance of the games against the Premier League, amid the announced changes, Critchley said: "It was massive, to go there in front of 30,000 people and earn ourselves a draw was a really good feeling,” he said.

"I remember the lift it gave us. The replay at home is a fixture that will live in the memory from this season, with it being on the television and the way the game went. I think it was a special evening, the supporters got right behind us. It was a proper FA Cup tie, and to not have the opportunity to play those games for us and the other EFL teams is very disappointing to say the least.

"There was a community feel where everyone mucks in and goes above and beyond to get the match on. Everyone helped out to get the game on. It was a cold January night, but it had a magical feeling about it, it was special.

"To not have that opportunity in the future takes away a little bit of the competition. It’s a competition we should be very proud of. It’s sad to be honest with you, it’s a decision that’s been made for the few and not the greater good, which seems to be happening more often. We have a duty to protect the game, and the history and the tradition of it in this country.

"In the last few years people have been questioning the magic of the FA Cup, and in my opinion, this erodes some of that, and I find it really disappointing. I believe ourselves and other clubs in the EFL, and lower down, haven’t even been consulted about it, which I find really disrespectful – I find it sad.

"I don’t even think it’s for the top 20, it’s for the top six or eight, because of the European competitions. We’re scheduled to play our 59th game tomorrow, so that’d be on a par, if not more than a lot of Premier League teams, and we don’t have their facilities.”